Unreal Scenery of Kuang Si Falls in Laos

Amazing, spectacular, unreal, magical, mesmerizing… Those are only a few adjectives that visitors use to describe beauty of this place. Before I even went to Laos, I met many travelers who claimed it was an incredible spot. However, after waterfalls in Iceland I am skeptical about people who are too enthusiastic about other waterfalls. It is not easy to beat Icelandic ones. In this case though, Kuang Si Falls deserve all the glory. This place is astonishing and no pictures do the justice to its beauty.

Kuang Si is a 50-meter waterfall that flows through the virgin jungle into cascading pools formed from white limestone. Each pool surrounded by tropical trees and evergreen plants reminds a fairy-tale scenery. We wandered from the lowest level up to the top of the biggest waterfall, taking shots from every angle. I couldn’t believe my own eyes that this place actually exists and I was in the middle of the scene.

The hike up to the top and down takes probably around one hour, but I can assure you will spend much more time there. It is hard to resist to stop and marvel the beauty of the unreal scenery. On top of that, if cold water doesn’t scare you off you can take a swim in one of the pools and refresh after hike. Most of them are accessible to tourists, but a few are restricted due to their sacred nature. Be careful though. Limestone formations create stunning landscape, but they can be slippery too. I scratched my belly trying to climb on one of the trees that grew from the water. However, it could have ended much worse.

Once you reach the top of the waterfall you can admire fabulous view over the mountains, hills and valleys of untouched Laos.

How to get to Kuang Si Falls

There are two ways to get to Kuang Si Falls from Luang Prabang. Firstly, you can hop on one of tuk-tuks that will take you there and wait until you’re done. Many drivers on the streets ask travelers if they want to take a tour to waterfalls and they all mean the one: Kuang Si. You’ll pay up to 40,000 Kip ($5) for return trip. The price will depend of number of people that will go with you and your haggling skills. You don’t really need to plan it in advance. Just go out and ask the first tuk-tuk driver you bump into. There many of them in the town.

The second option is to rent a motorbike. There are a bit more expensive than in neighboring countries. You should pay something between 100,000-150,000 ($12-18). It takes approximately 40 minutes. The way is picturesque and not very busy, so you should not be worried about high traffic.